Miss Opportunity - Ch. 43.2

Whether Millsap and Cami knew it or not, the people in Georgia and Florida were not the only ones discussing their breakup. Right now they were being discussed on a cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico.

Actually that ship was the floating headquarters of the AAC (At-All-Costs) Agency, a special governmental agency with undercover operatives that were willing to win the war on drugs at all costs. The two people discussing Millsap and Cami on that ship were married agents by the names of Nuevo, a black-Hispanic male, and Fila, an Italian female.

Agent Nuevo was actually Esteban ‘E-Blade’ Jackwood. Which meant E-Blade did not die that fateful day in January six years ago. No, what he thought was his last breath before death was actually his last breath before passing out from loss of blood.

With that fateful breath, E-Blade made a proposition to the cops that were in the ambulance with him. He said, “If I only had more time, I would tell you how to win your war on drugs from here to Miami and beyond.” Then he gave them the name of a key Floridian contact that had connections throughout South America and the Caribbean.

At the very mention of that mystery man’s name, E-Blade instantly started to get preferential treatment. The paramedics were told to do everything they could to save his life. The body bag he was put in gave the appearance of death, but had a long slit in it so that he could still breathe through a tube. Phone calls were made. Specialists were brought in. Arrangements and deals were formulated.

Delia would go free, which was the easiest thing of all to pull off because Bonz had also been working behind the scenes on that issue. To this day, E-Blade was still grateful that his childhood friend would look after his family, despite what he’d done to him.

Since somebody had to take the fall for the incident in order to cast off suspicions of a cover-up and thwart additional investigations into the matter, it was agreed that Cami would do no more than five years in prison. Less if she maintained good behavior. The fact that Cami almost did five full years was due to all the fights she’d had in prison trying to defend herself.

In exchange for giving up even more big names, E-Blade’s illegal offenses were secretly pardoned and he gained a new life, identity, and a new face. The face of a John Doe corpse was given his likeness so that E-Blade’s mother would have a body to bury. A fake death certificate was issued.

Finally, E-Blade’s ex-partners were given free passes. Meaning, the backgrounds of Bonz and Racker would not be investigated. The whole time E-Blade talked about his partners, he never shared how many he had and he never, ever mentioned their names. He would not snitch on Bonz and Racker. Not after all the other stuff he’d done to them.

Though it wouldn’t have been too hard for the agency to find out Bonz and Racker’s identities since the men had been friends from boyhood, they did not pursue it as an act of good faith. As a result, Agent Nuevo/E-Blade stayed faithful to the agency, becoming one of their top operatives. He married Fila last year after unsuccessfully trying to reenter Delia’s life under another alias – Diego.

This was the same Diego that Cami met last May in Florida and tried to seduce. She did not recognize him as E-Blade due to his different face, eye color, and new way of speaking. Only Royal and Delia knew his true identity. However, they did not know about any of his missions.

E-Blade’s new face came from hours of plastic surgery. The new eye color was courtesy of colored contact lens. The new speech was from long sessions with the agency’s language coach, who was determined to put E-Blade’s frequent use of street slang into a neat box that he only drew from as the missions required.

Now Agent Nuevo/E-Blade mostly spoke fluent Spanish or very articulate English. The other languages he’d been taught were on an as-needed basis, too.

Cami was the topic of Nuevo’s discussion with Fila today due to her connection to Millsap. The same Millsap that Nuevo and his team of agents were trying to bring down in order to keep the southeast drug cartel from getting even bigger than it already was. Unlike the old Enfield crew, the new crew sold a variety of drugs and thus had a wider customer base, making them prime targets for sting operations.

Unfortunately, Nuevo hadn’t been able to bring them down yet, though he’d been trying for years. Millsap and his crew were very savvy in the drug game. They were also more solidified than E-Blade and his crew had been. All three men seemed more devoted to each other, not letting even the latest situation with Cami tear them apart.

How did Nuevo and Fila know about the Cami situation all the way in the Gulf of Mexico?

Through one of their operatives who’d worked undercover at The Urban Revue for almost a year now. That operative was Stefan the bartender, who made it a point to volunteer for all special events at the club and to work as often as he could as part of his fact-finding assignment. The same operative that was now pursuing Cami openly. And not just for job reasons either.

No bugs or surveillance equipment could be planted at the club thanks in large part to Mike-Mike’s security equipment business and technological know-how, and also the overall shrewdness of the new crew. Millsap’s crew was so clever that they had all of their businesses, their cars, and their homes routinely checked for bugs on a weekly basis. They also had their main lab underground at an undisclosed location.

“So you’re actually relieved about Cami breaking up with this guy?” Fila asked, spooning with her husband on their custom made platform bed. They’d just made enough love for three couples. Now it was time to talk business again.

“Yep,” Nuevo replied, kissing his wife on the back of the neck. “Cami may not be my most favorite person in the world, but she’s still Dee’s cousin. Which means, if Cami gets hurt by staying hooked up with Millsap for too long, Dee and my kids get hurt, too, because of their love for her. I can’t have my family hurt.”

“In that case, I’m glad she got out before we take the Enfield crew down, too,” Fila said, quite attached to Delia and the kids, as well, and not wanting to see them hurt. “Speaking of Dee and the kids, when are we going back to see them again? That little songbird Tess brought tears to my eyes back in December.”

Nuevo chuckled, reminded of the first time he heard Tess sing in church. It had been a moving experience for him, too. “In May for their annual church carnival.”

Fila groaned in disappointment. “That’s too far away.”

“I know, Fi-Fi.” Nuevo kissed her neck once more. “But Royal and Dee are being generous with even that date considering the fact that I’m only supposed to see my kids for birthdays and holidays,” he said, referring to the agreement they made after he revealed his true identity to them.

“May it is then.” Fila turned around to face him. “Fortunately, we have enough to keep us busy until then with this sting…and of course, this…thing,” she said, reaching for that most intimate part of him.

Nuevo chuckled huskily, so grateful that he’d given up his dream of getting Delia back and embraced a new dream - Fila. He’d never been happier in his life. Then as Fila promptly straddled him, Nuevo quickly realized that he was about to get even happier.

© 2008 by Suprina Frazier